An Eli/Grace Series
by TaintedLove
Summary: Chapter nine, Now and Always is up... Sorry to say this, but chapter nine is the last chapter! The series is now complete. Thanks all for reading and reviewing!
1. A Revealing Moment

******Ok, before I start with my own version of the Eli/Grace romance saga, I have to warn you: I haven't seen much of the show lately…. So forgive me if I get many things wrong, and this isn't based on any particular episodes. All I really am going on is the built-up romantic tension between the two, and the almost-kiss from a year ago. So, read on at your own risk, and don't be too surprised if I sound like I don't know anything (since I haven't seen any of the latest episodes) Oh, and thoughts are marked by ~ , ok?*****  
  
An Revealing Moment  
  
  
  
  
  
Grace sat at her desk, staring sluggishly at the pouring rain through her bedroom window. She had her math book opened in front of her with her notebook turned to a fresh page next to it. Her pencil lay abandoned across the blank page. It was a dreary Saturday afternoon in March. And here Grace was, with nothing better to do than her math assignment. But the cold dampness of the day crept in through the walls and made her body feel heavy. It took too much effort to concentrate on the tiny black print or to raise her arm and pick up the pencil. So, Grace just sat there and stared out the window, her mind a useless drone of small, unimportant thoughts.  
  
~It's raining hard. Maybe I should do my math. I could go downstairs and watch that movie with mom and Rick. It's really raining out there. Math, hmmm. Don't I have an English assignment, too? Rain, rain, go away. I should be working on my schoolwork…~  
  
Grace was startled out of her thoughts by a soft knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," She called. The door opened to her mother.  
  
"Are you busy, Grace?" Lily asked. Grace used all her might to shake herself out of the slump she had been sinking into. She concentrated on what her mother was saying and tried to find the words to answer her. Her brain seemed so empty and useless today.  
  
"No, not really. Just math, and I still have tomorrow and study hall on Monday to do it. Besides, it's too awful outside for my brain to concentrate."  
  
"Good, I told Eli you would go with him. I needed him to run some errands at the store, and well, there are some personal female items on the list. I don't want him to be embarrassed by that. You know how guys are about stuff like that. So, do you want to go with him?" Lily smiled, and Grace was assumed by it. ~Of course mom can't send Eli to buy tampons, how funny would that be? I have a hard enough time buying stuff like that, myself. Eli, hmm, I haven't spent time alone with him in a while. I've been so busy with the play and all.~  
  
"Sure, I'll go. Why aren't you going, anyways?" Grace asked out of curiosity.  
  
"Rick and I are watching this movie on Lifetime. It's really good, and it's based on real life. I came up here during the commercial break…" Lily's voice faded as she closed Grace's door and started down the hall.  
  
~Must be some movie.~  
  
Grace pulled on a pair of sneakers and checked her outfit in her mirror. Kind of plain, but she hadn't planned on going anywhere today. She decided to keep the jeans she had on, but to lose the oversized sweater. She pulled open her closet door and ruffled through the selection until she reached a black long-sleeved shirt that had black ribbons laced through the neckline and bottom of the shirt. ~Fit's my mood today…and it's kind of pretty. I've always liked how it looked on me.~  
  
Grace slipped off her sweater and took off the tee shirt she was wearing underneath it. She went over to her dresser and searched through it until she found the pink bra she was looking for. The black shirt was tight on her and she liked how the pink bra made it look like she had more going on top than she actually did. She just had taken off her white bra and stood there, naked from her waist up when the door began to open.  
  
~Oh my God.~  
  
"Grace, are you ready to…" Eli stood there, his mouth hanging open.  
  
~Oh my God! Why? Get out! Oh, God! GET OUT! GO! GET OUT!~  
  
Grace threw her arms across her chest just as she found her voice, "Get out!"  
  
Eli seemed to snap out of his immobilization, and Grace saw that Eli had his eyes on the ground as he pulled the door closed. Grace sank to the floor, her face flushed red and her eyes stinging with tears.  
  
~Why did he have to open the door? Oh, god, he saw my boobs! Why? What did… Oh, man. I should have locked it before I changed. He should have knocked. Oh, god. I have to go shopping with him... I have to buy tampons with him! Oh, god, why me?~  
  
After a minute, Grace collected herself and quickly dressed, her back turned towards the door. It took another minute before she could bring herself to look in the mirror. Her cheeks were still a slight pink, but that could be mistaken for blush. She ran a brush through her brown hair and glanced down at her chest. She couldn't believe that had just happened. He had seen…  
  
Grace forced herself to stop thinking about it and picked up her coat. She couldn't avoid him forever and her mother would want a reason if Grace backed out of going with Eli. Grace couldn't very well tell her that Eli had seen her breasts, and now she wanted to crawl into a hole and die.  
  
Grace went to her window and looked out. Eli wasn't in his car, so he was probably waiting downstairs to see if she would ever come down. He'd probably send up Lily soon and tell her what had happened. Grace didn't want her mother trying to comfort her.  
  
Grace grabbed her purse, opening the door with a silent curse and hurrying down the steps. "Bye, we're going now." Grace called into the living room, where Lily and Rick were engrossed in their movie.  
  
"Bye, honey. Eli has the list! Be careful, it's very wet out." Lily called. Rick added his goodbyes. Grace went into the kitchen, where Eli was eating some leftovers from last night's dinner. He looked like he had expected it to be a long wait. Grace was proud that she had pulled herself together so quick and wasn't a crying mess in her room right now. Of, course the pride was covered by loads of embarrassment, but it was still there.  
  
"Ready?" Grace asked as Eli took a few last bites of chicken. He shoved the plate back into the fridge. Grace noticed he was having a hard time looking her in the eyes. Not that she was giving him much of a chance by staring at the tiled floor as if it where just put in that day. She pulled her eyes up and caught Eli staring, but not at her eyes. Grace pulled her coat together and zipped it up. Eli quickly glanced away, but a slight pink rose in his cheeks and Grace could almost see a smile tugging at his lips.  
  
"Yeah, let's go." Eli led the way out to his car. The rain had turned into a soft drizzle and Grace enjoyed the wetness on her warm cheeks.  
  
~Will I survive being alone with Eli, after what happened? Will I ever live it down? God, if he's picturing them right now… What if he… Why does my life have to be so troublesome? Why does stuff like this always have to happen to me? Why does Eli have to be… be so cute?~ 


	2. More to That

******Ok my first chapter was kind of cheesy, but I promise it'll get better. Read on at your own risk….******  
  
  
  
1 More to That  
  
  
  
Grace sat in the passenger's seat of Eli's car. Eli had turned the radio on, and it droned on loudly, competing with the persistent thoughts and worries going on inside Grace's head. That was okay, Grace didn't exactly want to spend anymore time thinking about the very exposing incident that had just happened upstairs. She still had on her spring jacket on, zipped up to the very top, even though the heat was on pretty high in the small car. Eli hadn't said a word to Grace since they got in the car, and Grace wasn't about to say anything to him. So they just sat in silence, well, their voices were silent, Creed's "Sacrifice" was blaring loudly.  
  
Grace noticed a folded sheet of notebook paper in one of the cup holders and picked it up. She was just about to unfold it when a warm hand clapped down over her hand. She looked over at Eli, startled.  
  
Eli pulled the paper out of Grace's hands and put it in the compartment that separated their seats.  
  
"Sorry. I thought it was my mom's list." Grace was irritated by Eli's abrupt actions. ~What is his deal?~  
  
"Well, it's not," Eli reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small piece of yellow paper. He thrust it at Grace, "Here."  
  
Grace took it and scanned over the list. "We could probably get all this at Walmart."  
  
"Yeah, that's where your mom said to go." Eli practically grunted. Grace had to strain to hear him over the music.  
  
They rode the next few minutes without talking. Grace stopped herself every time she began to remember what had happened earlier that day. But even the briefest of thoughts left a blush on her cheeks.  
  
They arrived at Walmart and Eli parked the car. After the engine was turned off they both just sat there. Grace could tell Eli was working up something to say to her, but he was having difficulty getting it out.  
  
"I'm sorry." Eli said finally.  
  
"About the paper? It was no big deal… yeah, it was kind of rude how you tore it out of hands like that, but…"  
  
"No," Eli interrupted her, "About earlier, you know, when I forgot to knock, and, well, I'm sorry."  
  
~Why does he HAVE to bring that up? Can't we both pretend it never ever happened? Erase it from our memories, like in Men In Black.~  
  
"Yeah, that's okay, Eli." Grace said, "Let's just forget about it." She tore her mom's list in half, making sure all the womanly products were on her half. "So, you find this half and I'll find the other."  
  
"Alright."  
  
* * * *  
  
They got back in the car about 45 minutes later. Grace began to feel the wet dull day getting to her again. She couldn't stand the thought of going back home and working on her homework.  
  
"Are you going back home?" Grace asked as Eli started the car.  
  
"Yeah, unless you wanted me to take you to a friend's house or something."  
  
"No, my friends all have FUN things to do on Saturdays. Just go back home, I guess." Grace let out a deep sigh. She immediately closed her mouth and busied herself by flipping through the radio stations. She wasn't trying to make Eli feel sorry for her or anything; it just came out that way. ~Now, he'll try to be my big brother and offer to take me to the movies or something. I don't want a pity offer. Why doesn't he ever ask me to do anything with him? This is the first time we've done anything together in months, and it was my mom's idea! Does he think I'm too young or lame to hang out with him and his friends?~  
  
"Do you want to do something? I don't have anything planned tonight either," Eli said, and Grace groaned.  
  
"Don't feel like you HAVE to do something with me. I'm not a total loser. I don't need you to pity me. You don't want to hang out with you sister anyways."  
  
"I want to do something with you, really. We haven't been as close as we usually are, since we've both been so busy. I'm not doing it out of pity." Eli said, and Grace believed him. "Oh, and you're not my sister, you're my step-sister. It's different. Besides you are a cool person," Eli added quietly.  
  
"So, where should we go? What should we do?" Grace asked happily.  
  
"Uh, I can ask Jerry if knows of what's happening tonight. There is usually a few party on Saturdays."  
  
"Okay," Grace tried not to let her glee show on her face. Eli actually wanted to take her to a party, with his friends. "Oh, did mom say we had to be back at a certain time?"  
  
"No, and that movie is one of those six hour deals, so they won't even notice. You won't tell Lily about it, will you? There might be pot and beer, you know." Eli said with concern. ~So for being *cool*. Now, he's worrying that I'll tell my mommy on him.~  
  
"I promise I won't, as long as you promise not to do anything or drink anything."  
  
"Deal."  
  
Eli pulled up in front of a white house. "This is Jerry's place. His car is in the driveway, so he should be home. I'll just go ask him. It won't take long."  
  
"Okay." Grace fumbled through the stations a few times as she watched Eli go up to the house. Grace stopped as she found a song she liked, "Tainted Love" (not the Marilyn Manson version, the older one). She sang along to the lyrics and tapped her fingers on the dashboard. She reached down to pick up her purse, but found her hand slipping to the compartment between the sheets.  
  
Sneaking a guilty glance at the house, Grace pulled out the folded paper Eli had torn out of her grasp. Quickly, she unfolded it and read the words. It seemed to be a poem or song lyrics.  
  
  
  
She's Something Special  
  
She's something special.  
  
She's probably too good for a guy like me.  
  
She's something special, all right.  
  
Only she doesn't even realize.  
  
I love the way she smiles.  
  
I love the way she laughs.  
  
I love the way she talks.  
  
I love the way she looks at me.  
  
Can she see right through me into my soul?  
  
Does she know all my secrets and hopes?  
  
Will I ever kiss her lips, and touch her face?  
  
Will I ever be with Grace?  
  
  
  
The last line was crossed out, especially the word Grace and it ended abruptly there. But Grace could still make out her name underneath the angry pen slashes. Glancing at the house Grace folded the paper and put it back.  
  
~Did he only put down Grace because it rhymed with face? But the rest of the poem didn't rhyme… had he realized that and that's why he crossed it out? Or had… no, it couldn't have… maybe… no, but… NO… it's not possible, not at all! But, why had he used Grace? Maybe… no, no, that couldn't be true. It just wasn't possible!~  
  
No matter how hard she fought it, a small voice in the back of her head beat out all her other thoughts. ~Maybe he wrote the song about Me.~  
  
Eli was coming down the driveway and Grace cranked up the music volume up another notch. She didn't want to listen to that little voice. She didn't want to get her hopes up, only to have them be stomped into the dirt. ~It's just a weird coincident. It just so happened that Grace rhymed with face. Even though the rest of it HADN'T rhymed?~ The little voice had to add the last thought in.  
  
"There's a party at Jill's house tonight, should be cool. She's got a huge TV, DVD player, a nice stereo system, even a pool, but it's too cold to use that. And her house is huge!" Eli announced as he joined her in the car. When Grace said nothing, he turned to look at her, "Grace?"  
  
It sounded weird to have her name coming off his tongue. "Sounds good," Grace mumbled. Suddenly she couldn't stand being so close to him. She didn't know if she could make it through a party with him. Her thoughts were on overdrive. But she couldn't very well back out and explain to Eli that she had read his poem, the one he had purposely taken away from her, and was freaked out by it. So, she clamped her mouth shut and hoped there would be very loud music at the party too. 


	3. In Your Dreams

***** Welcome Back, all you who have come this far! Thanks for reading… And for your comments, I really appreciate them, since this is the first series I've written on this website. I had written some ER fanfics in the past (mostly Carter/Lucy… but then she died, and well…). I would write a Jessie series, only I don't know enough about her character. I barely know enough about Eli/Grace for this one, so that's why some things might not sound like they would have actually happened on the show. But, I'm trying, because I love writing about them. I wish I had known OandA was on last Monday, darn, I'm really behind in my episodes. Anyways, enjoy. ****  
  
  
  
1 In Your Dreams  
  
  
  
Grace and Eli entered Jill's house without knocking. Grace felt hesitant, she was about to be bombarded with a bunch of drunk/high strangers who Eli himself probably didn't even know that well.  
  
"Eli, you came!" A pretty blond greeted Eli with a hug, a long hug. The blond stepped back and saw Grace standing there. The girl's expression turned from joy to icy disbelief. "And you brought a date," The girl said and looked up and down at Grace. Grace could practically see the girl's nose rising up in disgust.  
  
"Jill, this is Grace. She's, um, just a friend." Eli explained. Grace realized that Eli didn't want to say that he was here with his little stepsister.  
  
"Oh, okay." Jill smiled at Eli, deliberately turning away from Grace, as if to exclude her from their conversation. Grace realized Jill had the hots for Eli, bad. "I'm so glad you came! I had a party two weeks ago, you know. You didn't show up. Danny had a party last week and you didn't come to that either! I was beginning to think you had moved away or something. I haven't seen you since that one time at Larry's house. And that was like a month ago! Where have you been?" Jill held onto his arm as she talked, and Grace glanced around the room. There were quite a few people there, but not the amount she had expected to be there. And there wasn't any drugs around that she could see, only lots of empty beer cans. Most of the people were gathered around the large screen TV watching what looked like Tomb Raider. A group of people were by the CD collection on the wall, picking out what to play next. Grace could also see that a number of people were in the kitchen off to her left. The party didn't look so bad.  
  
"So, are you coming downstairs with us?" Jill was saying. "Your little friend can come too, I guess."  
  
"No, I think I'm just going to stick up here. You go, though, it's your party, after all." Grace was proud of Eli for sticking to his promise. Obviously downstairs was where the pot was, maybe even some harder drugs.  
  
Jill pouted and kissed Eli on the cheek. "All right, then. If you change your mind… ok?"  
  
Eli nodded, but Grace knew he wasn't going to change his mind. Especially not with her there with him. Jill shrugged and sauntered away.  
  
"So, want to watch the movie? Or there is probably something happening upstairs that we could check out."  
  
"Upstairs? Is that the same as downstairs?" Grace questioned.  
  
"No, no. Upstairs is more mellow. We just hang out and talk or whatever. It's quieter up there, so that's why people go up there instead of staying down here." Eli explained.  
  
~Quiet, yeah right, like I really want to be able to hear my thoughts right now.~ Grace shook her head, "Nah. I haven't seen this movie yet. We should just stay down here and watch it." It was really loud down here, with the music turned up high and the TV turned up even higher to be heard. ~Perfect.~  
  
"Fine with me." Eli led her over to the TV area and picked out an empty spot on one of the couches. He introduced her to the people that glanced their way. Everyone was engrossed in the kick-butt action scene that was playing. Grace decided this wasn't so bad, they could stay here and watch the movie, maybe listen to some music, drink some sodas and she would have a few hours not to think about the events of that day.  
  
* * * * *  
  
They got back to the house at about ten. They could have stayed out later; the party was raging on even harder now, but since Lily and Rick didn't know about their plans they decided to come back. They didn't them to freak and start calling up hospitals to see if they had had an accident.  
  
Grace said hi to their parents and exited to her room. Now the quiet room let her thoughts flow free about the day. Embarrassment of the flashing incident, and uneasy hope about the poem swirled in her mind. She climbed into bed and let the two fight it out in her head.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Grace awoke the next morning at nine, after long restless hours of tossing and turning. She showered, enjoying the feeling of it on her tired body. By ten she was dressed and downstairs eating breakfast with Zoe when Eli came in. She could tell he hadn't had any problems sleeping, with the big grin on his face.  
  
"Morning, ladies," Eli greeted them.  
  
Zoe giggled, "Why are you so happy?"  
  
Eli tried to suppress the smile on his face, "Do I seem happy?"  
  
Zoe and Grace looked at one another. "Yes," they said at the same time.  
  
Eli shrugged, "Good night's sleep, I guess."  
  
"Did you have really good dreams?" Zoe asked.  
  
"Yeah, I did." Eli grin grew wider, and he closed his eyes.  
  
"Were they sexual dreams?" Zoe blurted out, and Grace choked on her cereal. Eli's eyes popped open. Zoe shrugged at their surprised expressions, "It's a known fact that boys his age usually have sexual dreams."  
  
"Okay…" Grace said uncomfortably, and began to clear her dishes away. ~Why did Zoe always have weird facts to share with them?~  
  
Eli looked at Zoe and than at Grace and then back at Zoe, before walking out of the kitchen into the living room.  
  
"Zoe!" Grace complained.  
  
"What?" Zoe asked innocently.  
  
"That was so embarrassing! You shouldn't ask about stuff like that. It's private."  
  
"Hmm, well I think he did have them. That's why he wouldn't talk about it." Zoe said, with her knowing smile.  
  
"Where do you learn about stuff like that anyways?" Grace asked, and then shook her head. "Wait, I don't want to know. Just don't say stuff like that anymore."  
  
Grace went into the living room, where Eli was watching some Sunday morning cartoon. Grace hesitantly sat down next to him, leaving a good foot between them.  
  
"So, last night was fun," Grace said finally.  
  
Eli shrugged, "Yeah, it was okay."  
  
"Did you tell Rick we went to the party?"  
  
Eli turned his head finally, "No, did you tell Lily?"  
  
"No, when we got back they were still watching that movie. Besides, it wasn't a big deal or anything. We were only there for a few hours and got back way before curfew." Grace pulled an embroidered pillow onto her lap and ran her hand across the smooth stitching.  
  
"Oh, okay." Eli grunted and started flipping through the TV channels. Grace found herself staring at his profile. She looked down again and thought of the poem she had found in his car.  
  
"Have you written any new songs lately?"  
  
"What?" Eli snapped and turned his head again.  
  
"I just asked if you had written any new songs." Grace suddenly regretted bringing it up. ~What if he realizes that I read that poem?~  
  
"Oh," Eli thought about it a while before saying, "no."  
  
Grace dropped the pillow and pretended to watch the TV cooking show that was on. She didn't even allow herself to turn and look at Eli when she heard him sigh softly.  
  
They sat there for a few more minutes, watching some old lady give the fine points on cooking a duck. Grace began to tap her foot against the carpet and finally she just had to break the silence. "So, your friends, Bill and Jenny seem nice. But, Jill, well…"  
  
Eli actually laughed, and Grace was glad that his good mood of that morning was coming back. "Yeah, Jill can be nasty. Especially towards girls that she thinks are threats."  
  
"Me, a threat?" Grace shook her head at that. "A threat to what, exactly?"  
  
"Well, when Jill wants a guy, she doesn't want any other girls to stand in her way. And well, she has made it clear that she's interested in me, so when she saw us together last night…" Eli explained.  
  
"But we weren't together-together last night."  
  
Eli shrugged, "Jill didn't know that. All I told her was that you were my friend, so she could have still thought we were together, just not open about it. Most guys don't show up to a party alone with a friend who's a girl."  
  
"Why did you say that I was your friend, and not your stepsister?" Grace asked.  
  
"You are my friend. You're a friend, whose mother just happens to be married to my father. I don't think of you as a stepsister."  
  
"I don't think of you as a stepbrother, either. You're just Eli, this really cool musician who happens to live in my garage." Grace said in a light joking tone, but she was actually being serious. She had a hard time thinking of Eli as a stepbrother.  
  
Both of them were looking at each other, the old lady and her bird droning on in the far background. Grace keep looking deep into Eli's chocolate brown eyes, and thinking about all the recent events; the poem, especially. Grace didn't even realize she was leaning in closer and closer to Eli, until Jessie's voice blared in her ear.  
  
"What are you guys watching? Isn't something good on?"  
  
Grace immediately jumped back and tore her eyes off Eli. Jessie stood just behind the couch, but her eyes were on the TV. Grace straightened up and looked at Eli, who was back to watching the cooking show with interest. ~Did I just imagine all that? Just it just me, or were we about to kiss? He was leaning in towards me, too. Had he wanted to kiss me or did I just have something on my face? Why does this all have to be so complicated? If Eli wasn't my stepbrother then I could…. we could… darn it all! He's my stepbrother and nothing is going to change that! Well, maybe, if Rick and mom got divorced… yeah, then Eli and I could… hmmm, but it isn't going to happen, so don't dream about what ifs, lame brain!~ 


	4. Eli's side for Chapters One and Two

***** Ok, I had just finished Chapter three, when I got a great idea. Ok, so for this chapter, I'm going to tell about the events of the past two days in Eli's point of view. I had planned on just sticking to Grace's perspective, but I have been itching to throw in some Eli thoughts… so this is how I'm going to do it, by switching my main character. I had planned on telling it in Grace's perspective, but I think I'll throw some Eli in there, so we know exactly what's going on in his head. Oh, and by the way it'll probably get very dirty, as we all know how guy's brains can be. So, read on, and enjoy.*****  
  
  
  
Eli's Side of: An Revealing Moment (Ch. 1) and More to That (Ch. 2)  
  
  
  
Saturday started out rainy and stayed rainy all day. Eli was getting cabin fever just sitting in the garage, staring up at the ceiling. His stomach grumbled and Eli heading into the house. He could hear the TV in the living room, but otherwise the house was quiet. Eli poured himself a glass of milk and set a plate full of cookies next to it. ~Ah, perfect snack.~  
  
He was almost done with the last cookie was Lily came in the kitchen. She smiled at him and Eli could sense she wanted to ask him to do something for her.  
  
"Hey Eli, are you doing anything today?"  
  
"No, why?"  
  
"Well, I was wondering if you would run some errands for me. I have a list of things I wanted to buy today, but Rick and I are watching this movie on Lifetime. It's really good. It's about a young woman in the late 1920's who moves to a small town in Alaska, and the woman is a teacher…."  
  
Eli nodded as Lily went on and on about the movie's plot line. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore and interrupted Lily as nicely as he could. "So, you wanted me to do some shopping for you, so you wouldn't miss the movie?"  
  
"Would you, Eli? That would be so great of you. And you could take Grace along; I know she is just dying to get out of the house."  
  
"Sure, I have a bit of cabin fever myself."  
  
"Great, thanks, Eli." Lily pulled out a sheet of yellow paper and began writing a list on it. "Grace can help you find everything. I'll go up and ask her." Lily handed Eli the paper and he scanned down it. ~Tampons? Oh, so that's why Lily is pushing the idea of Grace going with me. Good, I don't want to be buying any tampons. I haven't spent much time with Grace in a while, hmm.~  
  
Lily came back down the stairs a few seconds later, "Grace said she'd go."  
  
"Lily, it's back on!" Rick called from the living room. Lily gave Eli the normal safety advice and warnings before going back to the movie. Eli put his dishes in the sink and waited at the bottom of the steps. Lily hadn't said when Grace would be ready to go, so Eli started up the stairs, towards Grace's bedroom.  
  
The door was closed, but not completely all the way, so Eli turned the knob slightly and pushed open the door. "Grace, are you ready…" The first thing he saw was breasts, bare breasts in Grace's room. Wait, the breasts were attached to a person… it was Grace. Eli gasped as he realized what he was seeing. Grace threw her arms across her chest and her voice croaked out two words.  
  
"Get out!"  
  
Eli realized he was standing there stupidly looking at Grace's chest. He pulled the door shut, making sure his eyes were on the ground. Eli hurried down the steps, feeling like a fool. ~Grace probably thinks I've never seen breasts before. She probably thinks I opened her door on purpose to see her changing. She probably thinks I'm perverted. But those breasts… wow…. wow.~  
  
Eli had settled down at the kitchen table with some chicken when Grace came down the stairs. "Ready?" She asked. Eli took a last few bites of chicken before putting it back in the fridge.  
  
Eli didn't want to look at Grace for fear that she'd see all his feelings written on his face. Grace seemed to have a way of knowing what he was thinking. But, he felt his eyes being drawn back to her chest. It was covered now by a black shirt, but now that Eli knew exactly what was under that shirt, he couldn't stop himself from staring. The sound of a zipper pulled his eyes away and he saw that Grace was zipping up her coat.  
  
~She's thinks I'm a pervert.~  
  
"Yeah, let's go." Eli said, and headed out to his car.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Eli turned the radio on, loud, as he started out towards Walmart. He didn't know what to say to Grace about what just happened. ~Well, I could start with: I'm sorry.~ Eli tried to plan out something to say as he drove. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Grace reaching for a folded sheet of paper that was in his cup holder. ~No, not that!~  
  
Eli grabbed Grace's hand. He couldn't let Grace read that piece of paper. ~If she reads that, then she'll definitely think I'm a pervert.~ Eli tore the paper out of Grace's hands and tossed into the compartment between the seats. He could tell Grace was startled by his actions.  
  
"Sorry. I thought it was my mom's list."  
  
"Well, it's not." Eli was upset about how close Grace had came to knowing the truth. He couldn't believe he had just left it there. Anyone could have found it. Eli pulled the real list out of his pocket and handed it to Grace. ~Man, I have to be more careful about things like that.~  
  
When they got to Walmart, Eli made a short, uncomfortable apology. Grace told him to forget about it, but Eli doubted that would be happening anytime soon. He could see that imagine of Grace wearing just her jeans every time he looked at her. But it was quite a nice imagine to have stuck in his brain.  
  
* * * * *  
  
They got done with the shopping quick and Eli was ready to take Grace back home, when she mentioned that she didn't have anything to do that night. Eli couldn't believe Grace didn't have any dates or parties to go to. Eli decided to make up for his dumbness earlier that day and take Grace out somewhere. So, he stopped at Jerry's and found out that Jill was having a party.  
  
"You should definitely go, man," Jerry said as they sat at his kitchen table. "Jill so wants to jump your bones."  
  
"I'm not interested in Jill. I don't want Jill." Eli said, which was true. Jill was too aggressive for him. She practically threw herself at him every time he saw her. Eli liked when girls were more laid back about their feelings.  
  
"Well, you should still go to the party. There a lot of pretty single girls going to be there." Jerry smiled. "Wish I could go, but I'm stuck home with the brats."  
  
"I'm not looking to hook up with anyone. I just wanted to take Grace out to a party." Eli insisted. Jerry had been trying to hook him up for a couple of weeks now.  
  
"Grace? Your stepsister, Grace? The one with the cute little body? Damn, she is sexy in that way, you know, where they don't even realize how attractive they are."  
  
Eli resisted from punching Jerry in his wide nose. "Got to go, but thanks for the details. Have fun babysitting."  
  
Jerry snorted, "Yeah, right."  
  
Eli went back out to the car and told Grace about the party. Eli was still furious with what Jerry had said about Grace. Eli didn't want any of his friends hitting on Grace. They just wouldn't be good enough for a girl like Grace. Eli doubted there was any guy out there that would be good enough for an intelligent, beautiful, caring girl like Grace. Grace put girls like Jill to shame.  
  
  
  
***Next chapter will also be Eli's point of view about chapter 3… so we get to know what was in his dreams! Hmm… that should be good. Hehehe.*** 


	5. Eli's Side of Chapter Three

**** Ok, welcome everyone. Okay, hmmm… I don't know what I wanted to tell all of ya…. Oh well, couldn't have been important. Anyways thanks for reading! I also enjoy reading everyone else's fanfics on this site. There are a lot of talented people out there! Okay, this chapter is another Eli one based on Chapter three, next chapter will return to Grave…****  
  
Eli's Side: In Your Dreams  
  
  
  
Eli and Grace returned home on Saturday night a little after ten. Eli had fun at the party, hanging out with Grace. It was cool to actually get to spend time with her, outside of their family environment. Grace had seemed like just another one of his friends that night, only she was a lot cooler than most of them, especially Jill. Jill had been upset that Eli was at her party with Grace, and took it out on Grace. Jill hadn't been over-the-top rude, but she sure hadn't tried to be nice to Grace either. Eli resented girls like Jill, who main priorities were to hook up with the *coolest* guys. They ran over anyone who got in their way of getting what they wanted.  
  
Eli climbed into bed that night at about eleven. For a few minutes, his mind went over the events of that day, coming frequently back to Grace's bare chest. Eventually, Eli's mind slowly drifted off into sleep.  
  
* * * *  
  
(Dream sequence…)  
  
Eli was walking up the stairs in the house. He knew he had to get to the top, but the stairs seemed to stretch out forever. ~Got to get up there. Keep going. Got to get to the top.~ Eli walked on and on, but seemed to get nowhere. Something about this didn't seem right. ~I don't think there are usually this many stairs.~ Suddenly the stairs ended and Eli was at the top. ~Finally! Yes, I made it.~ Eli looked behind him, but found a gaping black hole where the stairs had been. Eli just shrugged and continued forward.  
  
Eli walked down the dark hallway, passing more doors than he remembered being there. Suddenly, Eli realized where he was headed. ~Grace's room… Got to get to Grace's room.~ He passed door after door, looking for the one that belonged to Grace.  
  
"Eli! Eli, come here. Come on, Eli."  
  
Eli followed Grace's voice to a door that was halfway open. All the other doors had been shut. A bright yellow light gleamed out from the room. Eli rushed to the door and pulled it all the way open. The yellow light rushed to meet him, blinding him for a few seconds. Slowly, the bright light faded, until it was dark. Eli called into the dark room, "Grace? Are you there, Grace?"  
  
Eli found the light switch and flicked it on. Soft, slightly pink light shone down on the room. Grace was standing in the corner, wearing the same black top and jeans she had worn that night. "You came!" Grace smiled with pure joy. "I thought you would, but I wasn't sure. Oh, I'm so glad you're here!" Grace looked down at the red carpet shyly. "He came," Grace whispered softly to herself.  
  
"Oh course I came. You asked me to, so I did. I would do anything for you, Grace." Eli walked towards Grace. It took him a few minutes, since the room was so big. As Eli approached, he noticed Grace was holding a folded piece of paper in her hand. ~That sure does look familiar.~ Eli couldn't figure out what it was, even though it seemed like he should know.  
  
Grace hugged him tightly, a long hug with their bodies pressed up against one another. "Oh, Eli… have you written any new songs recently?"  
  
Eli took the paper, but he didn't have to look at it anymore. He finally realized what it was. ~My poem… my song.~ "Yeah, Grace, I wrote this song here about you just the other day."  
  
Grace smiled and jumped up and down quickly. "I knew it, I knew it!"  
  
Eli laughed and pulled Grace closer to him. Her body seemed to give off a strong heat. "Aren't you hot?" Eli asked. He was burning up, being so close to her. Eli wasn't going to let the temperature stop him from being close to Grace. ~No, not after I've waited so long.~  
  
Grace nodded, pulling at the neck of her shirt, "I am hot." Before Eli could say anything, Grace had pulled off her black shirt. She stood before him, naked expect for her jeans. ~Why wasn't she wearing a bra?~ Eli pushed the thought away, it didn't matter. Something about seeing Grace like this seemed familiar, but Eli wasn't sure why.  
  
"Are you hot?" Grace asked, sweetly. Eli responded by pulling off his own shirt. "That's better," Grace said. She moved closer and the pink light in the room darkened to a deep rich red. Grace ran a hand across Eli's chest. "Do you love me, Eli?"  
  
"Yes, I love you, Grace."  
  
"Good, Eli, because I love you."  
  
Eli put his hands on Grace's bare silky waist. Grace looked up at him, her eyes twinkling. Kiss me, her eyes were saying. Eli obeyed her eyes and leaned in to kiss her. The kiss was long, slow and deep. Their naked upper bodies pressed against one another as they embraced. The light in the room swirled red and pure white until it had become pink. They broke the kiss, looking deep into each other's eyes. Grace took his hand and led him over to a large white bed. The bed seemed a little strange, but Eli couldn't figure out why. Then he saw that it was way too big to actually be Grace's bed, and the blankets were white instead of blue. The white bed seemed to glow.  
  
Grace flopped down on the bed and Eli fell down with her. "Are you sure?" Eli asked as Grace reached down to unbutton her jeans. Grace nodded, a wide smile on her face. Eli reached down to unbutton his own pants and realized they weren't on him, neither was his boxers. ~When did I take them off?~ It didn't matter, especially since Grace was laying there, completely naked now.  
  
Grace rose up and met Eli in another ground-shaking kiss. The light deepened to red once again. Eli and Grace rolled together across the long wide bed. Grace was giggling as they brought their faces together for another kiss.  
  
"I love you, Grace. I want you so bad," Eli whispered.  
  
"I love you, and I want you, Eli." Grace said with certainty. Eli practically giggled himself, out of pure joy. He could feel Grace's bare legs entwined with his own. He rolled again, so he was on top of her warm body. They kissed and whispered each other words of love as they made love for the first time. Eli never felt any thing as strong and wonderful as the feeling of being with Grace. Eli knew this was meant to be, it felt so right. He was meant to love Grace and Grace was meant to love him.  
  
Eli's breaths were getting shallower and shallower. He was crying out with pleasure and trying to kiss Grace's neck at the same time. Grace kept calling out his name. Eli loved the way she was saying his name; he could hear her every feeling in that short word. Her arms clung to his back as they moved together as one. The room seemed to glow an even brighter red, if that was even possible. It certainly wasn't a color you'd find in a box of crayons. But then it was over, and they both whispered each other's names as they lay there. The red light gradually faded away. "I love you," They both said at the same time. Then even the normal light began to fade into black…. deep black…  
  
* * * *  
  
Eli awoke on Sunday morning with a wide smile on his face. Fragments of his dream remained in his head. The feelings from the dream still lingered on his body. ~What a dream!~ It had all felt so right. Eli had not ever realized it was a dream while he was dreaming. Even with the long stairs and hallway, and the weird changing light. It had all seemed real, too real. Eli's body felt like he had actually spent the night making love with Grace, and it felt good.  
  
Eli took his time getting dressed, trying to remember every moment of the dream. Finally, he made his way into the house, intending to get some breakfast. He entered the kitchen, only to find Grace and Zoe sitting at the table, eating cereal. Grace smiled slightly at him as he entered the room. Eli couldn't help but think of the naked Grace underneath his body from the dream as he looked at her. ~Her soft lips on mine… her hands running up my back… her…~ "Morning ladies," He greeted them, trying to end the cascade of thoughts, before it got him in trouble.  
  
Zoe giggled, "Why are you so happy?"  
  
Eli shrugged, "Good night's sleep, I guess." Which was basically the truth.  
  
"Did you have really good dreams?" Zoe asked. Eli allowed himself a quick glance at Grace, who was staring down into her bowl.  
  
"Yeah, I did." Eli closed his eyes without even realizing it and the images from the dream danced in his head. He was deep in his memories, so that he barely heard Zoe's next comment.  
  
"Were they sexual dreams?" Eli's eyes popped open and he looked to make sure that Zoe had actually just said that. Zoe looked back at him with a curious and intrigued stare. Grace looked horrified. Zoe shrugged at both of them, "It's a known fact that boys his age usually have sexual dreams."  
  
Eli couldn't believe Zoe had just said that. ~Does Grace realize the truth? Was it written all over my face when I came in here? How do I respond to a question like that?~ Eli looked back and forth Zoe and Grace, before deciding no answer was his best bet. Eli turned and walked into the living room.  
  
Eli plopped down on the couch and cringed with embarrassment. He flipped on the TV, but didn't really watch it. After a minute Grace entered the room and sat down next to him. Suddenly Grace was too close to him, and not close enough at the same time. Eli didn't want to look at her for fear he might see that she somehow knew about his dream.  
  
"So, last night was fun," Grace said after a few moments of silence.  
  
"Yeah, it was okay." Eli waited to hear her say something about the dream.  
  
"Did you tell Rick we went to the party?" Eli began to wonder if Grace didn't know about the dream, maybe only suspected. ~Why else would she bother with all this small talk?~ Eli brought up enough courage to look at her finally.  
  
"No, did you tell Lily?" Eli asked as began to feel his body relax. Grace was sitting there, looking perfectly normal, not freaked out, upset or amused. Grace said something, but Eli didn't really hear her, he grunted out a respond. He turned back to the TV, hoping Grace would leave. She was too much of a temptation.  
  
"Have you written any new songs lately?"  
  
"What?" Eli said sharply. ~Had Grace just asked that, or was I remembering something from my dream? His dream Grace had asked a question like that… while she was holding his poem.~  
  
"I just asked if you had written any new songs," Grace said, looking hurt.  
  
"Oh," Eli said. It was way too eerily to have Grace be asking about that after dream Grace had. Well, he couldn't tell her the truth… she'd want to see what he had written. "No," Eli said and hoped Grace believed him.  
  
Eli turned back to the TV, hoping Grace would take the hint. She didn't. After a few minutes, Grace brought up the party. They got around to talking about Jill. Eli told her how Jill had thought Grace was a threat, because Jill hadn't known that Grace wasn't his girlfriend, since Eli had only said that Grace was his friend when he introduced them.  
  
"Why did you say I was your friend and not your stepsister?" Grace asked.  
  
"You are my friend. You're a friend, whose mother just happens to be married to my father. I don't think of you as a stepsister." Eli bit his tongue, wondering if he had said too much. ~Will Grace realize I have this thing for her?~  
  
"I don't think of you as a stepbrother, either. You're just Eli, this really cool musician who happens to live in my garage." Grace said it lightly, but Eli could see she actually meant it. There was something else in her eyes too, something that looked so inviting. ~Could Grace actually be interested in me? We almost kissed that one time, but I thought it was just an accident on her part… what if she actually has feelings for me too?~ Eli leaned in closer to Grace, who was leaning in towards him. Eli wondered if her lips would taste as sweet and be as soft as they were in the dream.  
  
"What are you guys watching? Isn't something good on?" Jessie's voice said from behind the couch. Eli quickly glanced at his sister, who didn't seem to notice that he and Grace were only inches apart. Eli pulled his body away from Grace's and turned as if he was interested in the TV. He could only wonder what would have happened if Jessie hadn't came in. Would he and Grace have kissed right there in the living room? Or had he just imagined that Grace was looking at him with longing, as they had moved together? Eli uttered a long and deep sigh of frustration. 


	6. Conflictions

**** Hi, everyone… Sorry about the long break: I had a long busy weekend, but I'm back! Thanks again for all your positive reviews. I caught this week's "The Gay/Straight Alliance"… it was good! Although, it was very much lacking in scenes with Eli!!!! Ugh! And I caught the rerun of last week's episode on Lifetime… at least THAT had Eli in it. The bad thing is that my TV was on the fritz during the last fifteen minutes of this week's episode, so I couldn't hear what anyone was saying and the screen was all static, so I couldn't see much either! Ugh, well it worked again near the end, at least. I wonder if I should incorporate Mr. Augustus Dmitri (sp??) in my story… maybe.****  
  
  
  
Conflictions  
  
  
  
Grace slowly walked into the empty house that Friday after school. ~It sure is weird to be here when no one else is. I wonder why Eli isn't home? Maybe he got a job…~  
  
Grace sighed and tossed her backpack on the kitchen table. She had had a really long week at school. First, there was the paper on a historical figure of the 19th century that she had to write for History. Then, in English, they had a huge test on To Kill A Mocking Bird. Not to mention all the other assignments she had gotten that week in her other classes. Grace was ready for a nice long weekend. ~I'm so glad we don't have school on Monday. I really need a break from schoolwork.~  
  
Grace started to get in a better mood as she thought about her long weekend. She began humming a song that had been stuck in her head all day. The song was one that her mother had played on the way to school that morning. Pretty soon, Grace was belting out the lyrics as she spun around the kitchen. "Knock three times on the ceiling if you want me… twice on the pipes (tap, tap), if the answer is no… Oh, my darling…"  
  
Grace heard banging on the countertop behind her and Eli's voice joined hers, "…Means you'll meet me in the hallway, (more banging) means you aint going to show…"  
  
Grace spun around, embarrassed at Eli having caught her being such a loser. Eli grinned at her, "Good song, kind of old, but good."  
  
Grace smiled softly, glad Eli wasn't using what he had just saw to make fun of her. "When did you get home?"  
  
"Just now. I just got back from The Book Lovers. Judy hired me to do some stocking. It might be permanent, though."  
  
Grace could tell Eli was glad to finally have a job. He tried to be causal about it, but Grace could tell Eli really wanted the job to be permanent. ~And this should get Rick, Karen and Mom off his back about being lazy.~ "That's great, Eli."  
  
Eli shrugged, but his smile grew a little bigger. "Yeah, it's nice. So, what other oldies do you have to sing for us?"  
  
Grace shook her head and laughed. "None. I've done my share of embarrassing singing for the day, thank you very much."  
  
"Hey, so what are you doing tonight? There's this new movie out that I wanted to see." Eli smiled softly at her. Grace felt her heart speed up. ~The movies! We have never gone to the movies together… wait, is this a date? Could it be? No, he just wants to hang out as friends, I'm sure. He is probably talking about going to the movies with a whole group of his friends.~  
  
"Sure," Grace said, hoping it didn't come out too cheerful.  
  
"Great." Eli swung his arms slightly and then looked around the room, before stopping on Grace. "Um, we can leave at seven then. The movie starts at 7:30."  
  
"That sounds good." Grace wondered if Eli could sense her conflicting thoughts. ~He didn't mention meeting up with any friends… is it a date? No, loser-girl, he's NOT trying to date you, he's your stepbrother and he is just being a friend… what if our parents set him up to this? Did they feel sorry for my lack of social life and made Eli take me? No, they wouldn't… but then, why is he doing this?~  
  
Jessie walked in the door then, and the weirdness between Eli and Grace faded.  
  
"Seven, then?" Eli called as he headed towards the garage. Grace called yes after him. She turned and saw Jessie looking at her.  
  
"What is happening at seven?"  
  
Grace shrugged, hoping she looked like it was no big deal, "Eli and I are going to the movies."  
  
Jessie's eyes widened, "Why?"  
  
"What do you mean 'why'? Eli and I are friends."  
  
Jessie looked down at the table, tracing little circles with her fingers. Grace barely heard her mutter, "Eli never takes ME to the movies. He said he hates going to the movies."  
  
Grace didn't know what to say to that, so she chose to ignore it. She had an outfit to plan anyways.  
  
* * * *  
  
At 6:55pm, Grace stood outside Eli's door. She was wearing a pair of black pants and a light blue tank top with lace running across the neckline. She was wearing a jean jacket over that. She figured this looked good, without being too dressed up. Grace glanced down at her watch. ~I don't want him to think I'm too eager. One minute and I'll knock.~  
  
Grace had ten more seconds left when the door opened. Eli was wearing khakis and a light sweater. ~Since when does he wear khakis?~  
  
"Ready?" Eli asked and Grace nodded. They went to Eli's car and Grace settled herself in the front seat. They drove in silence for a while, while Grace racked her brain for something normal to say to Eli.  
  
"I like this song," Grace said finally, when her brain came up empty- handed.  
  
"Yeah, me too." Eli said.  
  
"So, what movie did you want to see?"  
  
Eli shrugged, "You can choose." Grace was confused. ~Didn't Eli say he had wanted to see a certain movie? Wasn't that the whole point of him asking me? Especially since Jessie said he hates going to the movies…~  
  
"Okay, I'll pick a chick flick movie, one where there is lots of crying and weeping… oh, how about A Walk To Remember?"  
  
Eli groaned, "You're kidding, right? There's no way I'm going to see a movie like that. I think I might have to take away your choosing privileges next time."  
  
~Next time?~ "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. How about 40 Days and 40 Nights? That looks okay… and it's not a total chick-flick. All the other movies are war-flicks or heavy drama films. I just want something upbeat and funny." Grace said.  
  
"Okay, sounds good."  
  
They arrived at the movie theater at about 7:10pm. They bought their tickets… Eli paid for Grace's, claiming it was his treat. ~Does that make it a date?~ Grace was confused once again as Eli insisted on paying for her soda and bag of Skittles.  
  
They found seats in the center aisle a few rows up from the back row. They sat down just as the room was darkening. They settled themselves in the uncomfortable seats.  
  
Grace was well aware of how close Eli was to her. The previews were playing, but Grace couldn't pay them any attention. All she could think of was Eli and this maybe-maybe-not-date they were on. ~He is treating me like a guy would treat his date… so, maybe? But he never mentioned any interest in this being a date, so maybe not? Ugh…~  
  
Eli shifted his legs and Grace felt his warm khaki-covered knee touch hers. Even though the two layers of fabric she could feel the heat as it swept up over her whole body. Grace stared straight ahead pretending not to notice, not wanting to have to break the contact. Eli didn't seem to notice either; he was busy tearing into his box of Sour Patch Kids. ~How could he not feel it? Is he pretending like me to be interested in the movie? Could he have touched my knee on purpose?~  
  
Grace leaned her head back against the headrest. Suddenly she was enclosed in wonderful Eli smells: the soft scent of Dove bar soap, the fruity smell of his hair gel, the smell of a cologne unfamiliar to Grace, and the slightest smell of peppermint. Grace breathed in deep, letting the smells travel through her body. Grace fought off the sudden urge to let her hand run down Eli's muscular arm and clasp her hand with his. Grace wondered how his hands would feel in hers. ~Would they be hard and rough or strong and soft? All those years of guitar playing would have built up hard, smooth calluses on his fingertips. How would his fingers feel running across my lips and down my neck?"  
  
"Are you okay?" Eli whispered and Grace realized she had gasped at the thought of Eli's hands on her body. She also noticed that Eli had pulled his leg apart from hers.  
  
"I'm fine, I just need a drink. My throat is so dry." Grace picked up her Mountain Dew and took a long sip, even though she wasn't that thirsty. Eli turned back towards the screen, where the movie was just beginning. Grace tried to watch the movie, but her heart wasn't into it. ~Who cares about Josh Hartnett, when you've got Eli sitting right next to you? Why hasn't he moved his leg against mine again?~  
  
"Can I have a Sour Patch Kid?" Grace asked and then reached for the box without waiting for an answer. Her hands brushed up against his as she pulled the box away from him. ~Strong, warm and soft.~  
  
Eli was smiling at her as she ate a few of the kids. Grace had never been a big fan of anything sour, but she had wanted to touch Eli so bad. She handed the box back to him, making sure their hands touched again.  
  
A half hour later, Grace had finally worked up the courage to make another move. ~This better look 'accidental' too… I just have to touch him.~ Grace uncrossed her legs, letting her left leg end up against Eli's leg. Eli made no move to evade her touch as he stared at the screen. Grace stared at the screen, too, as her whole body tingled and filled with warmth. ~How can the touch of his leg against mine feel so darn good?~  
  
A little while later a warm hand fell on her thigh. Grace quickly glanced at Eli out of surprise and found him looking at her. He held up the box of Sour Patch Kids with his left hand. His right hand lingered on her upper thigh. "Want any more?" Eli whispered. Grace nodded, as her tongue lay useless in her mouth. ~Doesn't he realize how his touch affects me? Why hasn't he let go of my leg? Is HE making a move on me? Oh, gosh, I hope so.~  
  
Grace leaned towards Eli and he shook a few Kids into her hand. He had let go off her leg, but there remained a 'hot spot' where his touch had been. Grace tossed the Kids into her mouth and ate them. Eli laughed softly.  
  
"You make a funny face when you eat them," Eli explained, moving closer, so he was practically whispering in her ear. "Too sour?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess they are too sour for me… I like candies that are all sweet best." Grace whispered back. Eli's face was only inches away from hers, the light from the screen light up his dark brown eyes. Grace felt lost in them, like they were eating her right up. Suddenly, Grace realized Eli's hand was on her thigh again, but this time it wasn't about candy. Eli was looking deep into her eyes, and Grace felt herself leaning closer. Eli's other hand reached up and caressed the side of her cheek. ~Oh, my God! We're going to …~  
  
Eli's lips met hers with as much passion as she felt. It was the kiss she had been waiting forever since she first laid eyes on him. It was slow and soft, and fast and rough all at the same time. It was perfect. Grace dropped her last Sour Patch Kids onto the floor and brought her hand around Eli's waist. His sweater had rode up a few inches and Grace's fingers caressed the hard smooth skin as she ran her hand up his back. Eli had turned completely in his seat now, and his hands went around her waist. Grace lost herself in that kiss. She didn't know how long it went on, but soon she heard the sounds of people walking past them. She pulled away from Eli. "The movie is over."  
  
Eli was looking at her in a way she had never had anyone look at her before. Grace wanted to throw herself in his lap and continue their kisses. "We should go," Was what she said though. Eli nodded and led the way down past the seats to the aisle. Grace followed, unsure and conflicted. 


	7. Silent Aftermath

****Hi all… I've decided to flip back and forth between Eli's and Grace's point of view in this chapter… and in all the chapters that follow.***  
  
  
  
Silent Aftermath  
  
  
  
Eli stared up at the tiny little bumps in his ceiling. ~Bump, bump, bump, bump… so many bumps clustered all over the ceiling. Oh, there's a really, really big bump. Wow. And look at that one… Ugh. It's not working! No matter how hard I try *not* to think of Grace, all I can do is see her sweet face and feel her lips on mine. My fingers running through her silky locks of chestnut colored hair… oh, heaven. Stop it. Stop it! Don't think about what you CAN'T have! Grace is your freakin stepsister! Just think of how Lily and Rick would feel if I told them. No, no, no… this can't happen. It won't work out. But, those kisses…~  
  
Eli turned over and groaned into his pillow. He had to get out of here, and do something to take his mind off Grace. He should have never taken Grace to the movies. He knew that there was a big chance that they would end up kissing in the dark theatre, but no, he hadn't tried to listen to his brain on that one. ~If only I had never taken Grace to the movies! If only we hadn't spent the last half hour making out like animal, ugh.~  
  
Eli rolled off the bed, landing on the floor with a hard thump. Eli ignored the quick bolts of pain shooting up his leg, and reached for his shoes. He couldn't stand to be cooped up in his room one more second. Just knowing Grace was so close by was painful. ~I really should have explained things to her after what happened yesterday. Instead, I ignored it and turned up the music real loud on the way home. I could see the hurt in her eyes… I'm a big jerk. I really should talk to her about it. Well, maybe later, right now I need AIR.~  
  
Eli grabbed his coat and hurried outside, breathing in deeply as the fresh damp air surrounded him. He glanced towards the house, wondering what Grace was doing. But he made his feet keep on moving and hopped into his car, slamming the door.  
  
* * * *  
  
Grace turned her head away from the TV as she heard a car start up in the driveway. ~Eli!~ She turned back to the documentary about Zebras letting her hair fall across her face. She didn't want Zoe to see the tears forming in her eyes. Grace had been sitting in front of the TV, watching the endless documentaries that Zoe had on, for a few hours now. ~This is not a fun way to spend my Saturday. Why hadn't Eli come inside? He hadn't even come in to eat breakfast… he's avoiding me! Why had I kissed him, why? Why? Why? It's ruined everything! He can't even stand to look at me. I probably suck at kissing… He probably laughed about it last night. Why hasn't he said anything to me about it? Why is he avoiding me! Oh, god!~ The tears started trailing down her cheeks, and Grace started towards the bathroom. Once there she locked herself in and cried as silently as she could.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Eli!"  
  
~Oh, god, I don't need this right now!~ "Jill, hi." Eli sighed inwardly. He didn't want Jill throwing herself at him tonight. He just wanted to have some fun and forget about Grace waiting at home for answers.  
  
"Hey, baby. I was hoping I'd run into you today." Jill gave him an awkwardly long hug. She pressed her whole petite body against his, and Eli had to practically push her off. He had gone to Mark's house, because there was always something going on there, even at noon on a Saturday. He hadn't expected to or wanted to run into Jill.  
  
Jill tossed her bleached hair over her shoulders, giving Eli her sexiest smile. Eli looked past her, hoping to find a way to escape Jill's clutches. He knew it wasn't going to be easy.  
  
"How about you and me have a little fun?" Jill said with a wink. Eli shook his head. Jill pouted, "Remember that time you and I got very close on New Years?"  
  
Eli sighed. It wasn't one of his favorite memories. He had been drunk and stoned and Jill had begun to look sort of pretty to him. They ended up making out in a closet and Jill had even got as far as taking off her top and putting her hands down his pants before Eli woke up to what he was doing. He had stumbled away, leaving her half naked and very angry. But apparently Jill had forgotten that Eli had turned her down that New Year's. She had been very out of it too, so chances were that she thought they had done a lot more than they actually did. "Jill, uh, oh, there is Jerry! Got to talk to him, about something really important. I'll see you around." Okay, Jill wasn't extremely stupid, she would have to realize that Eli didn't want to get with her now. Jill took the hint, scowling as she walked away. Eli knew she try again another day. But right now he was glad to have her out of his face.  
  
"Hey, Eli!" Jerry staggered up to him, clearly he had started his partying very early today. "Did you just blow off Jill, AGAIN?"  
  
"Oh, god. You know how I feel about her…" Eli shrugged, "She's not my kind of woman."  
  
Jerry laughed, and then smiled knowingly at Eli. ~Oh, god… this isn't good.~  
  
"So, Eli, tell me what type of woman do you go for? Do they happen to be young and brunette? Georgia saw you and Grace at the movies yesterday… I didn't know it was legal to make it with your own sister?"  
  
"STEP-sister… you know that. That means we are not blood-related. Yeah, it's weird with our parents being married, but… Oh, I don't know. It was a one-time thing. My lips just kind of lost control, and, well…"  
  
Jerry nodded, "Yeah, happens to me all the time. I'm sorry for ripping on you about Grace, but, well, what are friends for? Here have a beer, on me." Jerry laughed hysterically at that, since the beer was lined up on a table, free for all. Eli smiled to himself as Jerry trip over a pile of beer cans and landed on a girl's lap. He bet Jerry had done that on purpose.  
  
Eli grabbed a beer. ~Why the hell not?~  
  
* * * *  
  
Grace sat on Eli's bed. Eli was still out and it was… Grace checked the clock, 11:45pm. Grace had snuck out here, after pretending to go to bed. She really needed to talk with Eli about what had happened. She just hoped Eli would come home and give her a chance to talk with him. Grace was getting sort of tired waiting for him, but she had promised herself she'd wait here until he got home, whenever that might be.  
  
Grace stretched out on her back, pulling Eli's comforter over her. She'd just lay here until he came home. The smells of Eli drifted over her as she snuggled in the blanket. ~What would it be like to have Eli laying next to me, holding me in his arms?~  
  
Grace shook the thoughts out of her head and forced herself to think of something else. ~Huh, look at all those bumps on the ceiling…~  
  
* * * *  
  
"Eli, we are here."  
  
"What?" Eli opened his eyes. His friend Don, one of the very few somber people at the party, had agreed to the drive him home. He may have been drunk, but he wasn't stupid enough to try and drive. Don said he'd have someone bring Eli's car over, so Eli wouldn't have to worry about it. Eli groaned, and slowly realized what Don had meant. "Oh, my house… garage house, room, whatever."  
  
Eli mumbled a thank you to Don and headed to his room in the garage. He opened the door and realized the lights were on. ~So very bright lights…~ Eli flicked the switch, turning the lights off. He pulled off his shoes, shirt and pants without falling down, by hanging onto his dresser. He stumbled towards the bed in only his boxers. ~Sleep, that's so what I need right now.~  
  
Eli pulled up the covers and collapsed into the bed. His mind was somewhat aware of another presence in the bed, but Eli was too tired to think about what that meant. He just wanted to go to sleep. Eli turned on his side, his arm falling over a warm body.  
  
* * * *  
  
Grace awoke on Sunday morning feeling very nice and cozy, but with a hint of confusion. ~Why is the comforter black? Mine is… oh, my god! I fell asleep in Eli's bed, waiting for him. Did he not come home?~  
  
A soft groan next to Grace answered her questions. Suddenly she realized there were two warm arms wrapped around her… bare shirtless arms. ~Did we do something last night? No, no, I'd remember that… and I'm still fully dressed in my pajamas. Wait, why would Eli get in the bed with me, naked? Wait, Is he naked?~  
  
Grace sat up, and stared down at Eli's sleeping form. He looked so cute, with his hair all messed up and matted. Grace quickly lifted the blanket, sighing with relief as she saw that Eli was wearing his boxers. She glanced at the clock, 5:53am. ~No one should be up for another hour yet.~  
  
Grace lay back down on the bed, letting her head rest in the crook of Eli's arm and chest. Softly she patted Eli's cheeks. "Morning, Eli."  
  
Eli awoke with a loud groan and pulled Grace even closer to him. "Hey."  
  
Grace smiled down at him.  
  
"Oh, my god." Eli's eyes widened as he grew fully awake. "Oh, Grace. Did… I was so drunk last night. Please tell me we didn't…"  
  
"We didn't. I was waiting for you to get home last night, and I guess I fell asleep in your bed."  
  
Eli covered his eyes, "Oh, man, and I was so out of it, I didn't even realize there was someone in my bed when I fell asleep. I'm sorry, Grace."  
  
"It's fine." Grace rolled away from Eli's warm body and sat up. "But we do knew to talk about what happened at the movies…" She stopped as she heard a shower starting up in the house. "But we'll have to do it another time. I should get in there, before anyone realizes where I spent the night…"  
  
Grace climbed out of the bed and was opening the door before Eli said anything. What he said made Grace's heart stop and a smile spread across her face.  
  
"It was nice waking up with you in my arms." 


	8. Beneath The Glass

****Hey all thanks for reading! Hmmm, I guess that's all I have to say. Now, on to the story.****  
  
  
  
Beneath The Glass  
  
  
  
Grace woke up on Monday morning with a smile. Things in her life were starting to make sense… and by 'things' she meant Eli. Grace was glad she didn't have school today. She really needed to talk with Eli. It was only yesterday that she had wakened up in his arms. Grace had tried to with Eli all day yesterday, but they hadn't had a chance to be alone together, since Eli had to go work at Book Lovers and that evening Lily had forced them all to play monopoly together. Grace certainly wasn't about to say, 'So, Eli did you mean what you said about liking waking up next to me?' in front of their parents. ~But I know he has some feelings for me… he wouldn't kiss me like that if he didn't.~  
  
Grace practically jumped out of her bed. She was so eager to find Eli and find out if they were starting a relationship, or whatever. ~Those kisses certainly weren't my-little-step-sister-kisses. And they weren't just friendly kisses. They were passionate, fiery kisses. I had never felt kisses that intense before. I just hope Eli isn't just playing with me. I hope he meant more with those kisses than just 'hmmm, I wonder how Grace kisses? Maybe I'll kiss her and find out.' There was that song he had written… the song. I had almost forgotten about that. It was all lovey-dovey and it had MY name in it.~  
  
Grace clapped her hands together, with unabashed joy. When she added up all the facts, it sure looked like Eli had feelings for her too. Grace scrambled to get dressed so she could finally have her talk with Eli.  
  
Ten minutes later, Grace was walking into the kitchen, her mind screaming its happiness at seeing Eli sitting there, alone. Eli looked up and gave her a smile. "Aren't you supposed to be at school?"  
  
"There's no school for the high school today." Grace sat down next to him, looking quickly over his white tee shirt and jeans. ~He looks good in anything.~  
  
"Oh. Well I guess Jessie must have went to her friends then… um, no one else is home." Eli was looking deep into her eyes and Grace leaned closer to him. ~He always smells so good.~  
  
Grace realized now was a perfect time to clear the air. She opened her mouth to start shooting off the questions that had been building up inside her, but Eli put his finger to her lips. "I've been wanting to do this," He whispered. Grace felt her body begin to tingle as Eli brought his lips to hers. It was so sweet and soft. Grace sank into the kiss, as it got more and more passionate. She tangled her fingers into Eli's slightly stiff hair.  
  
Eli let out a soft moan and he pulled her off her chair and onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her tender neck.  
  
"Oh, Eli." Grace whispered. They both became unaware of anything but each other's lips and hands. The sound of the door opening went unheard.  
  
Grace's breath was quickening from the fast intense kisses. She let out a moan as Eli's tongue caressed her neck. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled his scorching lips up to meet hers.  
  
"Oh my god!"  
  
Grace heard the shout, but it seemed so far away. All she was aware of was Eli's hands on her back and her lips on hers. Finally she began to realize what was happening outside of her little Eli bubble. ~Someone shouted! They saw me and Eli kissing… who?~ Grace pulled away from Eli and looked into the startled eyes of Jessie.  
  
"Oh, my god. Eli… Grace? This can't be happening!" Jessie was not only shocked, but angry as well. Grace climbed off of Eli.  
  
"Jessie," Eli began, but he seemed unable to think of what to say.  
  
"I'll be in my room." Jessie gave them one last questioning stare and then bolted.  
  
"Oh, gosh." Grace said with a sigh. She didn't know what to do. Jessie knew about them (were they a 'them'?) and soon everyone would know. Grace didn't want to start out a relationship with Eli underneath a constant microscope. ~What if our parents refused to even let us be together? What would I do?~  
  
"I'll go and talk with her." Eli stood up, and leaned over to kiss her. He hesitated and drew back before his lips meet hers. He gave her a sad confused look and took off for the stairs. Grace collapsed in her chair and wondered how things got so off track again, when it had finally seemed like something was starting up between them.  
  
* * * *  
  
Eli knocked at Jessie's door. He heard her call out, "Come in," and he pushed the door open. Jessie was sitting curled up on her bed, looking so fragile and small. Eli immediately felt his brotherly instincts kick in, as all he wanted to do was hug Jessie and tell her it was okay. Instead he sat down at the end of her bed, studying her slender face. He could tell she was upset, angry and confused.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Jessie looked up and shrugged, "What are you sorry for?"  
  
"I shouldn't have been making out with Grace down there…" Eli said.  
  
"You mean you shouldn't have been kissing her *at all*, or you shouldn't have been kissing her where someone could catch you?" Jessie asked angrily.  
  
"I like Grace, Jessie. I'm sorry I let you find out about it like you did." Eli reached for Jessie's hand, but she tucked it underneath her leg. Eli wished he knew how to make Jessie be not upset.  
  
"Do you like her or do you love her, Eli?"  
  
"I'm not sure… I might love her, Jessie. I don't know… it's complicated. We haven't even talked about it ourselves yet. But there's something there with Grace, and I want to explore it."  
  
"But how can you, Eli?" Jessie exploded. "Grace is your stepsister!"  
  
Eli sighed. He should be having this talk with Grace, not with Jessie. He and Grace really needed to evaluate what was happening between the two of them. "You'll understand more, Jessie, when you kiss someone who makes it feel so… good. Grace is a special person to me. When I'm with her, it's like magic, you know?"  
  
Jessie nodded, a smile appearing on her face. Eli realized that Jessie did understand. ~I wonder what has happened in Jessie's life that I don't know about. She might even have a boyfriend and be in love!~  
  
"So, please don't tell anyone about this yet, okay? It's still so new to Grace and me… It might not even go anywhere, but who knows, it just might."  
  
"I won't tell, but it's weird. You and Grace, hmm," Jessie mussed over the idea. She smiled and hit her brother's arm, "Just please don't have any more make out sessions in front of me, okay?"  
  
Eli laughed and agreed, glad that his sister was in a better mood. "So, are you dating anyone?" Eli tried to make it sound casual, but he was really curious. ~This is my baby sister… I should know these things, so I can look out for her.~  
  
Jessie grimaced at the question, the smile fading from her face. "It's complicated… I… I don't want to talk about it."  
  
Eli frowned, but knew well enough to leave things alone. ~Jessie will tell me when she's good and ready.~ Besides, he had to find Grace. It was time for their talk.  
  
* * * *  
  
Grace was sitting in the living room when she heard Eli clunk down the stairs. He always made the most noise going down the steps. She had been wondering and thinking about the sad look Eli had given her before he went up to see Jessie. She was scared Eli was going to tell her he didn't want to be with her.  
  
"Hey." Eli sat down next to Grace on the sofa and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Grace let out a sigh of relief as he gave her a soft quick kiss. "Do you know that Jessie is seeing someone?"  
  
"Really?" Grace bit her tongue, she had an idea of whom Jessie might be seeing, but that was Jessie's business to tell, not hers.  
  
"Yeah, she's all tight-lipped about it, but I got the impression that it might be serious. Anyways, she's okay with you and me being together, err, you know what I mean, and she won't tell anyone."  
  
"So, are we together? Are we a couple, now?" Grace blurted out.  
  
"Do you want to be a couple?" Eli stroked the side of her cheek and Grace almost laughed at his question… ~How could he think I'd *not* want to be a couple?~  
  
"Yes." Grace said with true certainty.  
  
Eli smiled, "Me too. But, it's not going to be easy, you know…"  
  
"I know."  
  
Grace tilted her head up towards his and they kissed. Grace was ready for everything that would come along with a relationship with Eli. She would not let anything stop her from being with him… because, well, she loved him. 


	9. Now and Always

****Okay, I hate to have to say this, but this is the last chapter in this series. I had fun writing and I hoped you all liked reading it, and maybe some other day, I'll write more O&A fanfics. But, for now it's time to put this one on the shelf. Sorry it's so short too, but you get the idea.****  
  
  
  
  
  
Now and Always  
  
  
  
Eli couldn't believe that things had turned out like this. How was he supposed to know that the little crush he had had on Grace could evolve into love. Eli had never thought he would ever get to kiss her sweet lips and hold her in his arms. But here they were, cuddling on his bed, and he found himself whispering those three little words. "I love you."  
  
Grace looked into his eyes, "I love you." Eli pulled her closer, intoxicated by her warmth. He had never had a girl who had made him feel this way before. Now as he looked back on his past relationships, he saw how false they had been. Never before had he felt so much for anyone as he felt for Grace. All Eli wanted to do was make Grace happy. He didn't want to think of what their parents would say about their relationship. He didn't worry about what would happen when Grace went off to college. He didn't think of what would happen if his band went on tour across the country. Eli knew everything would work out in the end. He wasn't about to let Grace out of his life. Eli knew he had found the one person he was meant to be with. Grace was his soul mate.  
  
"Eli," Grace whispered in his ear. Eli smiled down at her and kissed her softly.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I want to be close with you."  
  
Eli was confused, "Baby, we are close."  
  
Grace shook her head, a shy blush rising to her cheeks. She sat up and pulled Eli up with her. "I want to be *close*. I'm ready… I love you. You love me. I don't want to wait."  
  
Eli realized what Grace meant. He kissed her pink cheeks and nibbled on her neck. "I want that too. I had a dream a few weeks ago… well, where we made love. It was quite a dream." Eli smiled at the memory.  
  
Grace laughed, "Was that the dream that Zoe had asked you if it was a sexual dream?"  
  
"Yeah. You can see why I didn't say anything at the time. That's not the kind of dream you share with people… well, except with the girl in the dream. I think that dream was when I first started to realize how deep my feelings were for you."  
  
Grace leaned her head against his shoulder. It was so nice to be hearing Eli talk about his love for her. She loved him so much; she thought at times her heart just might burst. She wanted to kiss every inch of him. She wanted to seal their love in the most special way. She wanted to make love with him. Grace knew they were meant to be together. They were like two halves of a sandwich… not a very romantic analogy, but hey, it worked. They had been apart, but they had found each other and now they were whole.  
  
Grace laid back on the bed, and looked into Eli's eyes. She smiled up at his sweet face and reached her hand out to him. "I love you."  
  
Eli took her hand in his and let her pull him down on top of her. "I love you too."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
THE END 


End file.
